Frank Fielding
| cityofbirth = Blackburn | countryofbirth = England | dateofdeath = | cityofdeath = | countryofdeath = | height = | position = Goalkeeper | currentclub = Derby County | clubnumber = | youthyears = 2004–2007 | youthclubs = Blackburn Rovers | years = 2007–2011 2007 2008 2008 2009 2009 2010 2010 2011 2011- | clubs = Blackburn Rovers Derby County | caps(goals) = 0 (0) 15 (0) 23 (0) 12 (0) 25 (0) 0 (0) 18 (0) 10 (0) 6 (0) 7 (0) | nationalyears = 2006–2008 2008–2011 2011- | nationalteam = England U19 England U21 England | nationalcaps(goals) = 2 (0) 12 (0) 0 | manageryears = | managerclubs = }} = = Frank is a highly-rated goalkeeper who enjoyed two successful loan spells with Derby County from Blackburn Rovers in the 2010/11 season before making the move a permanent one in May 2011. Derby agreed an undisclosed fee for his services and the shot-stopper put pen-to-paper on a three-year deal. The former England under-21 international had been a long-term target of Rams boss Nigel Clough and showed his quality with some impressive performances between the posts whilst on loan. A Blackburn Rovers Academy product, Fielding never made a competitive appearance for Rovers' first team, but he was on the substitute's bench in the Premier League on a handful of occasions as cover for Paul Robinson. He used loan stays at Wycombe Wanderers, Northampton Town, Leeds United and Rochdale to develop his talent before heading to Pride Park. Frank is also highly thought of in the England set-up and he has been in Fabio Capello's full England squad, with his latest call-up coming in August 2011 for England's Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales. CLUB CAREER Derby County (Loan) Derby County sign Frank Fielding and Michael Boulding Derby County have signed Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Frank Fielding on loan and veteran striker Michael Boulding on non-contract terms. Fielding, 22, has joined until the end of the season having played 10 games for the Rams during another loan spell in October and November. Rams manager [[Nigel Clough moved for Fielding after Stephen Bywater and Saul Deeney suffered injuries this week. Boulding, 35, has not played since his release by Bradford City in March 2010. Clough told the club website: "We are delighted to have brought Frank back to the club. He will go straight into the team for Saturday." Deeney hurt his shoulder in training on Monday, with Bywater then suffering a muscle injury during Tuesday's home defeat by Hull City. |} |} Clough said he was relieved to have Fielding back on board at a time when he has potentially lost Deeney for the rest of the season and is unsure how long Bywater will be out for. He added: "It's typical of our luck at the moment that we lost both of our keepers to injury in the space of 24 hours earlier in the week, leaving us in a predicament for our trip to Sheffield United. "Saul will be out of action for a number of months and at the moment we don't know when Stephen is going to be available to us again. "We know Frank and he knows about us, so it's an obvious choice and we are pleased to have got this one over the line as there were a number of other Championship teams who wanted to take him." Boulding's most notable spells have come at Mansfield, Grimsby, Barnsley and Bradford. He had an unsuccessful trial at Barnsley in the summer. 25 February 2011 Derby County On 9 May 2011, it was announced that Fielding had signed a three-year deal subject to the FA and Premier League's approval, for a fee of £400,000. On 17 September 2011, Fielding was sent off after 67 seconds in the East Midlands derby match against Nottingham Forest, despite this Derby still won the match 2-1. INTERNATIONAL CAREER Rob Green replaced by Frank Fielding in England squad Rob Green has withdrawn from the England squad for their Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales because of a finger injury and been replaced by Frank Fielding. Derby's Fielding was the first-choice keeper for England at the recent European Under-21 Championships. The 23-year-old has conceded only three goals in five league games this season. Ipswich keeper David Stockdale, who let in seven at Peterborough last week, is understudy to first-choice Joe Hart. That means Fielding becomes the second Championship keeper in the squad. Hart is the only has established keeper in Capello's squad following the international retirement of West Brom's Ben Foster. Green lost his place as Capello's first-choice keeper during last summer's World Cup following a mistake against the United States. It is thought Green picked up the knock during West Ham's 4-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday. Green reported for duty at England's training base at the Grove in Watford on Monday night but has now returned to his club for treatment. 30 August 2011 CAREER STATISTICS HONOURS Club Individual PERSONAL LIFE Frank Fielding saving his best for Derby and England Under-21s The 23-year-old is hoping to make up for the disappointment of not making it at Blackburn, his hometown club The tattoo on Frank Fielding's forearm is the only visible sign that there is more to the England Under-21 goalkeeper's story than a safe pair of hands. "Loved too much to be forgotten" is inked in elegant script down the 23-year-old's left wrist flexor, a tribute to the father who died just days before seeing his son play a senior match for the first time. Fielding was a promising goalkeeper on the books of his hometown club, Blackburn Rovers, when his father, Frank Sr, got an opportunity to expand his textile business beyond Lancashire to Malaysia and in the process improve the quality of life he could provide to his wife, Christine, and four children. But the family were not keen on uprooting, especially Frank Jr, who was 11 at the time and wanted to remain at Blackburn to pursue his dream of becoming a footballer. "Otherwise I would never have found out what I could do in the game," he explains now. So for the sake of his family Frank Sr went to Kuala Lumpur by himself "and sent home most of his money to put food on the table for us". Frank Jr continued to progress at Blackburn and, to further his education, was loaned to Wycombe Wanderers in League Two at the start of the 2007 season. There he made his senior debut at the age of 19, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win at Bradford. He regularly impressed over the next two months and was looking forward to his father watching him when he came home from Malaysia that December. But the family were to be deprived of that pleasure. "It is a weird story really," recalls Frank Jr. "He used to ring home on a Sunday. I was on loan at Wycombe at the time and we couldn't get hold of him all day." The next day brought the explanation. "My cousin's boyfriend drove over from Maidenhead and told me my dad had a heart attack and died." Frank Sr was 57. The son dashed home to Blackburn but won the admiration of Wycombe by returning the following weekend to play in monsoon conditions against Stockport County and perform solidly in a 6-0 defeat that was as freakish as the weather. That testified to his mental strength, which has since been fortified by the empathy of his girlfriend, Holly, who coincidentally lost her father around the same time. "We met each other and just clicked because of it, we're best friends and the reason we get on so well is because we have been through the same situation." Others helped too. "The reverend at Blackburn, Ken Howells, takes a lot of credit for the state of mind I'm in now. I don't think about it (my father's death) all the time now, but it's still a motivator." Garrulous and genial, Fielding speaks without self-pity. He is sanguine about ultimately not succeeding at Blackburn, where he never made a senior appearance and was sold to Derby County in May after performing well there on loan. "It was a bit frustrating because I'm a Blackburn lad and I'd always wanted to play for Rovers. But I didn't get the opportunity and that's not down to anybody else, it's down to me. I obviously wasn't good enough. Hopefully I can do well at Derby and get into the Premier League with them." Derby are not the only ones to believe he has a bright future. Fabio Capello was sufficiently impressed by his performances for the Under-21s to summon him to the senior squad for last August's friendly against Hungary. He did not get a cap but he savoured the honour and relates his experience with the infectious enthusiasm that explains why Stuart Pearce says the Under-21 squad "love Frankie to bits". "The senior players were spot on with me even though they must have thought 'who is this person coming into our circle?'" recalls Fielding. "The likes of Wayne Rooney came over and said 'Hi, I'm Wayne'. I thought: 'I know who you are, pal, I've seen you on TV.'" On Wednesday Fielding will be on TV as England attempt to beat Ukraine in their second group game of the Under-21 European Championships in Denmark. "My dad never got to see me play a first-team game and that pees me off ... but I'd like to think he'd be proud." Paul Doyle in Vejle, 14 June 2011 EXTERNAL LINKS AND REFERENCES *Wikipedia *Soccerway *Transfermarkt *UEFA.com *TheFA.com Category:1988 births Category:Goalkeepers Category:Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Category:Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players Category:Northampton Town F.C. players Category:Rochdale A.F.C. players Category:Leeds United A.F.C. players Category:Derby County F.C. players Category:England under-19 international players Category:England under-21 international players Category:England international players Category:Football League Championship players Category:Births by year Category:Football League Two players